The role technology has played in the education sector in the last year remains monumental. Traditional education has always been ‘good enough for all stakeholders, but the urgency to revolutionise every school’s department was felt when the pandemic struck upending lives in 2020. Overnight, technology for schools became necessary rather than a luxury, and blended learning in schools became more than just a temporary arrangement.
When the sector got disrupted
Causing the
biggest disruption to the education sector in history, the pandemic calls for a
resilient model in the present day scenario that can withstand any future
crisis. To facilitate undisrupted learning with quality, schools are opting for
a blended learning model. Blended learning combines the best of traditional
face-to-face classroom learning and eLearning. This mode helps keep all kinds
of learners engaged ―the ones who learn better in a structured
environment and those who learn better at their own pace with the help of
technology. Schools in India have kept
technology at bay owing to the massive infrastructural changes that come with
it. But integrated solutions bring the entire school functioning on a single
dashboard where all the stakeholders can access information anytime without any
massive infrastructural changes.
Why is the technology required now more
than ever?
For a very
long time, technology in schools has been considered a privilege where only
Tier-1 cities had its access. But with integrated solutions, technology has
reached the remote parts of the country, bringing about a ‘much needed’ change
in the sector.
But how is
technology making education seamless and effective? Let’s have a look:
●
Learning at your pace: When a school gets
tech-enabled, students can learn from the comfort of their houses at their own
pace. Every student has a different learning curve, and this can be addressed
with integrated solutions.
●
Better learning resources: Unlike online learning, where
the entire learning structure remains haphazard, a tech-enabled school provides
adequate learning resources and engages students during lectures with a
well-curated curriculum and practices.
●
Collaboration: In the absence of camaraderie
that school life brings, students can indulge in collaborative learning, hone
critical thinking skills, etc., with integrated solutions. Students also learn
empathy and master leadership skills.
Technology beyond learning
Technology
has overhauled the nitty-gritty of the education sector. Not only does it
ensure quality learning, but it also ensures seamless functioning across
various school departments. Conducting various functions in a school has always
been done manually and used to take several hours and sometimes days. But when
a school is tech-enabled and has integrated solutions deployed, every function
can be taken care of with a single click.
The integrated solution has also made teachers proficient at handling
online classes better. Teachers can navigate better during their classes
through various tools and make learning effective and impactful.
Reports have
suggested that “85% of jobs that will
exist in 2030 haven't been invented yet.” To cater to the fierce
generation, schools must look beyond textbooks to bring about change.
In January,
World Bank reported, “At the peak of school closures in April 2020, 94 per cent
of students – or 1.6 billion children – were out of school worldwide, and,
still, around 700 million students today are studying from home.” To avoid
learning loss of this scale from happening in the future, schools must make
technology an intrinsic part of their infrastructure.
